


Don't Shut Me Out

by robyngirlwonder



Category: Winner (Band)
Genre: Angry Kissing, Angry Sex, Angst, Friendship, Frottage, Jealousy, Kissing in the Rain, M/M, Makeup Sex, OT5, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-02 03:50:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4044799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robyngirlwonder/pseuds/robyngirlwonder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winner seems fine on the surface, but there is tension behind the scenes that threatens to tear the group apart.  A jealous Seunghoon has mistaken Mino and Jinwoo's close relationship as romance and has shut out a confused and hurt Jinwoo and completely ignores an angry protective Mino. Meanwhile, Seungyoon and Taehyun are stuck in the middle of the hyung line's tattered relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Empty

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, let me explain myself. I stand by the idea that JinHoon should be a magical fluffy lovey ship of nothing but rainbows, unicorns, and sunshine. However, rainy weather, PMS, and listening to Justin Timberlake breakup songs ("TKO," "Cry Me a River," etc.) on repeat at 5am in the morning made me think of this angsty plot. Sorry everybody...  
> 

The five members of Winner stood outside of the video screen framed elevator of YG Entertainment drumming with anxiety.  They were too distracted to even realize the monstrous screens were playing their music video for "Empty" as they waited for the chrome doors to open.  On any other day they would have jumped with excitement.  Seunghoon risked a small humorless chuckle. "Empty" was perhaps too fitting for their current situation.  Word had gotten to YG that all things weren't fine and dandy at Winner's dorm and they were called to the dreaded seventh floor office of their boss for a meeting discussing the matter.  All five members jumped as the elevator chimed and its doors opened.  Jinwoo gulped as the five somber members filed in.  Seunghoon distanced himself as much as he could from the mat-hyung in the confined space.  This didn't go unnoticed by the other members as Jinwoo frowned and bowed his head, Seungyoon closed his eyes and sighed, Mino glared daggers at Seunghoon as he wrapped his arm around Jinwoo's waist, and Taehyun worried his bottom lip with his teeth, eyes darting back and forth between the two rappers as they attempted to stare each other down.  Still scowling at his angered dongsaeng, Seunghoon pressed the seventh floor button as the elevator door closed.  Tense silence plagued the entire ride.

 Seungyoon breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the seventh floor without the the rapper line coming to blows.  However, as the elevator doors opened, the leader's stomach dropped and his knees threatened to buckle. YG's scolding was no longer going to be a funny anecdote Seungri told his hoobaes to amuse them. It was going to be a hard cold reality.  Seungyoon felt as if Winner was walking to their execution.  He took a deep breath and tried to rally his members.  Voice cracking, Seungyoon suggested, "Well, let's get through this without killing each other."  

Seunghoon rolled his eyes and pushed past the leader to escape the elevator, knowing his words were aimed at him and Mino specifically.  Mino scoffed at the dancer's actions and muttered, "Asshole," under his breath while passing their leader and patting Seungyoon's shoulder.  Taehyun followed suit and patted the leader's other shoulder.  Jinwoo grasped Seungyoon's fingers and gave them a sympathetic squeeze as they left the elevator together.    

The group weighed heavy with nerves as they reached the door of YG's office. With trepidation, Seungyoon turned the door knob and the members entered the feared office and waited to hear their fate.  YG sat at his desk barefoot, looking too calm for the current situation as he watched the young men file in individually.  He watched as Jinwoo stood next to Seunghoon who glared at the older man and shoved his way to the opposite end of the line.  YG could have sworn he heard Mino growl at his hyung's behavior.  He then watched the young man place a comforting hand around Jinwoo's shoulder and bowed his head in disappointment.  YG cleared his throat and watched as the uneasy men whipped their heads up to look at him.  He feared they would suffer whiplash. "I will make this quick. Remain standing."

A pregnant pause followed.  YG scanned the members one by one.  Seunghoon's jaw was clenched and his eyes burned with fire.  Taehyun appeared calm but his constant fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt showed otherwise.  Mino's expression mirrored Seunghoon's.  His hand, still resting around Jinwoo, traced delicate circles on the older man's shoulder.  It appeared as if the motion helped the rapper remain calm.  That could not be said for Jinwoo who was trembling. His large dark eyes glistened with tears that threatened to fall. The eldest's left hand was clasped over Seungyoon's right.  The leader's lips were red from constant nervous biting and large dark circles were tattooed on his pale face. 

 YG made a noise in his throat. He then closed his eyes and brought his index finger and thumb up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Hmmm, this is worse than expected." He chortled humorlessly. "I guess the acting lessons have paid off."  

There was another pregnant pause.  Seungyoon felt like he could vomit or collapse at any second.  The only thing keeping him grounded was Jinwoo's soft hand clasped firmly over his.  The mat-hyung gave his hand a tight squeeze as YG called his name.

"Seungyoon-ssi"

The leader's throat went dry. "Yes Sajangnim."

"How long has this tension--" YG opened his eyes and motioned towards the hyung line, "this tension between Seunghoon-ssi, Jinwoo-ssi, and Mino-ssi been going on for?"

Seungyoon gulped. "I-I'm not quite sure.  Maybe a month or so?"

Seunghoon scoffed unconsciously.  His heartbeat quickened at his mistake. YG's cold stare bore into him as he spoke to the dancer. "So I guess I should really be asking you this question.  Well go ahead Seunghoon-ssi, answer."

Seunghoon cleared his throat as he tried to keep the venom out of his voice as he responded, "Well if you want an answer, I would suggest asking those two love birds," he motioned towards Mino and Jinwoo, "over there."

Mino growled and clenched his jaw.  He formed a fist with his free hand and was ready to go over and punch Seunghoon, but Jinwoo grabbed his wrist and brought it down to his side and stroked the tense hand with his thumb.

 YG watched the aggressive display silently.  He cleared his throat causing the couple to jump. "Well, I guess I should ask first if you two are together. If you are, I hope you know that there will be ramifications."

"We aren't together Sajangnim." Mino responded.  He glared directly at Seunghoon as he continued. "Sometimes people just like to make assumptions."

The dancer bit his lip as he fought the urge to run over and beat the shit out of his donsaeng.  _'_ _Liar.'_

YG sighed and rubbed his temples.  "This is going nowhere."  He bowed his head for a second before he rose up, eyes burning with frustration. "I have another appointment soon so I will have to cut to the chase.  There will be food waiting for you when you return to the dorm.  You are to sit in the living room or kitchen, I don't care, and discuss whatever turmoil is going on. You are to return here in a month.  If I do not see improvement, I  _will_  make changes.  I have invested too much money to just disband you.  However, I don't care that you have already debuted, I have no problem switching the lineup if need be."

All five members gasped in shock at YG's cold words.

"Seungyoon-ssi," YG continued, "You are the leader and you failed to adequately handle this situation.  I have no problem revoking that title.  Do you understand?"

Seungyoon felt as if he was going to faint.  He choked out, "Yes Sajangnim."

"Also Seungyoon-ssi, I have no problem pulling you out of the web drama if I have to." YG continued his rant. "Jinwoo-ssi, we talked in private before _WIN_.  Is that correct?"

Jinwoo clasped his shaking hands in front of himself.  He whispered, "Yes Sajangnim."

"Would you mind telling the other members what I said?"

"T-that Winner was my last chance and if I didn't make it, I would be kicked out of YG Entertainment and have to report for my military service..."

"That offer still stands Jinwoo-ssi." YG stared at the quivering man before him. 

Jinwoo felt his blood run cold at YG's harsh words.  His voice cracked as tried to respond without crying. "Yes Sajangnim."

"Mino-ssi, I know I told you that you stand alone on  _Show Me the Money_ _4_.  You were no longer YG's Mino, just Mino." He stared at the young rapper who only nodded in response. "However, I have no problem taking you out of the show.  Got it?"

Mino only nodded again as a tear dropped from his cheek onto the office floor.

YG was still not done. "Taehyun-ssi, consider yourself lucky that your web drama promotions are finished."

"Yes Sajangnim."

Seunghoon gulped.  His heart raced as YG's cold eyes landed on him. "Seunghoon-ssi, you have been dealing with some health setbacks recently."

"Y-yes Sajangnim."

"I know it's been difficult.  However, that is no excuse for whatever's happening in the group.  If you were the cause of this, then I hope you have a backup plan because I have no problem kicking you out if this continues."  He sighed as he watched Seunghoon bow his head in shame, tears running down his face. "You are dismissed." 

The somber young men turned and exited the office with their heads bowed. Their feet dragged all the way to the elevator.  They entered silently.  Seunghoon thought the universe had to be mocking them as "Empty" played in the quiet elevator.  


	2. Quiet before the Storm

The car ride back to the dorms was as somber as the elevator ride after YG's verbal lashing. Mino had completely broken down sobbing the second the van door was closed.  Seunghoon's jaw clenched as Mino collapsed into Jinwoo's chest in row of seats in front of him. The dancer was regretting his decision to sit in the far back of the car as he watched the disgusting display. He bit his lip in anger and scowled when Jinwoo wrapped his arms around Mino's quaking body and cooed words of comfort into his ear. ' _"We're not together." Not together, my ass. How fucking transparent can you be?'_  It took all of his energy not to roll his eyes and scoff at such an obvious display of affection.  He crossed his arms and glared out the window still fuming over Mino's response in YG's office.  The youngest two distracted themselves from the thick engulfing tension with their phones. 

Seungyoon's stomach was in knots as the car reached their dorm.  The faint movement from the driver hitting the breaks and bringing the black van to a halt forced the leader's heart and stomach into his throat. He felt like he was choking.  He gulped audibly. Sensing the leader's distress, Taehyun patted his thigh in an attempt to comfort him.  Seungyoon cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the three preoccupied hyungs sitting in the back of the van.  He put on his best authoritative voice like that of a general briefing his troops before battle. "So right now it's 3:00 p.m.  This...this talk will probably be emotionally draining.  So I think it's in our best interest to take a rest before we begin.  How about we meet in the living room around 5:30?  We'll eat then we'll talk. Does that sound good?"

Seunghoon wanted to scream. ' _Oh, that's just fucking perfect! The happy couple will have enough time to get a quickie in.'_  Instead, he bit his tongue and grunted in approval along with the others.

 Taehyun exited the car first and held his hand out to assist their visibly shaking leader.  Seunghoon looked down at the floor so he wouldn't have to witness even more affection and physical contact from Jinwoo and Mino as they left the vehicle.  He heard Mino sniffle and quietly whisper, "Come on Hyung," as the couple left the car.  Seunghoon figured the coast was clear so he stood up to get out of the vehicle.  However, he saw Mino take hold of Jinwoo's hand and give it a gentle squeeze right as he reached the open van door.  

The dancer snarled.  He swept past his members and sped to the main doors of their apartment building.  Seunghoon snapped, "Are we gonna stand here all day are we gonna enter the fucking building?"  He tore the large glass door open and held it for the disgruntled members that filed past him. It sounded like Seungyoon was muttering prayers to any god who would listen as he walked by.  Jinwoo risked a glance at the dancer who wouldn't even look at him.  Mino rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath at Seunghoon. Taehyun glared at him and shook his head in disapproval as he passed by the aggravated man. Seunghoon looked up at the graying sky before he closed the door behind him.

They once again stood in silence as they waited for an elevator.  This time, Taehyun spoke first.  "It's pretty obvious how tense things are, so I think it's in our best interest to divide and go up in two groups."

Seunghoon interjected."And make this process go even slower?" There were two elevator located in the lobby.  While the one on the left was very fast and efficient, the one on the right was known to take much longer to bring residents up to their desired floor.

"That's enough Seunghoon-ah!" The members jumped at the mat-hyung's authoritative bark.

The dancer scoffed. "Oh, so are you finally gonna talk to me for the first time in months?"

"I could say the same for you Seunghoon-ah." Jinwoo's tone was icy.  He turned to face a worried Taehyun. "I think that's a great idea Taehyunie.  How about Mino and I go together--"

"Of course you will," Seunghoon cut Jinwoo off.  He had never seen the older man glare so fiercely.

Jinwoo continued quietly and firmly despite the rude interruption. "Fine. I'll take the first elevator with Seungyoon. Mino and Taehyun, take the second one. And you," Jinwoo jabbed a finger at Seunghoon, "take the stairs to work off some of that aggression. How does that sound?"  Mino, Taehyun, and Seungyoon readily nodded in agreement.  

Outnumbered, Seunghoon bitterly sneered. "Sounds fucking peachy." His response reeked of sarcasm as he stomped his way to the door of the stairwell. The doors of the elevators swept open as the stairwell door closed with a thunderous bang.  The four remaining men winced from the echo.  

The mat-hyung took a deep calming breath. He gave a quick wave to Mino and Taehyun as he walked with Seungyoon to the slow right elevator."See you up there." Placing a hand on Seungyoon's back, Jinwoo entered the elevator and pressed the button for the eighteenth floor.  He rubbed up and down Seungyoon's back which was arched and tense. It reminded Jinwoo of when his cat Rei was distressed.  In a soothing tone, he asked, "Is everything alright Seungyoonie?"  The answer was obvious, but he hoped the question would allow Seungyoon to open up about his troubles.

"How did I let this happen?" The leader sobbed into his hands. Jinwoo was quick to envelope his dongsaeng in a comforting hug. "How did I let it get so bad? This is all my fault."

"Shhh, no it's not." Jinwoo combed Seungyoon's raven hair with his fingers as the younger man cried on his shoulder. "The fault lays with Seunghoon and I, but that doesn't matter right now.  We're going to work this out, I promise."

I-I'm just so t-tired!" Seungyoon hiccuped as he gripped Jinwoo tighter.

"I know Seungyoonie." Jinwoo patted him on the back. "You work so hard and you've been so busy lately. When we get to the dorm, I want you to go straight to your room and rest.  I'll take care of the food and anything else if Mino and Taehyun haven't, okay?"

Seungyoon lifted his head and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "Okay." He then dabbed at the shoulder of Jinwoo's sweater to remove the puddle of tears. "Sorry for getting you wet."

Jinwoo chuckled warmly. "It's fine."  The two men separated and Jinwoo saw they only had four floors to go.

They passed the fifteenth floor and sixteenth floor in silence.  Seungyoon bit his lip and cleared his throat to voice a concern on the seventeenth floor. "This whole thing scares me." He toyed with a loose thread on his right sleeve. "It kinda reminds of the time right before my dad left." He watched Jinwoo's silhouette jolt in surprise on the chrome elevator door. Seungyoon rarely, if ever, mentioned his father. Jinwoo took hold of the singer's wrist as a sign of support. "I was really little, but I just remember how cold our house was.  Like, my mom was always walking on eggshells so she wouldn't upset him.  Then one day they had this giant fight and then he left."  He turned to face Jinwoo again. "Can you promise me that you won't leave?"

"Seungyoon-ah I--"

"I know you can't guarantee that, but can you please try?" He took hold of Jinwoo's hands.

Jinwoo sighed. "Yes, I'll try."

Seungyoon squeezed his hyung's hands and croaked, "Thank you."

The elevator came to a halt and soon the doors opened.  Seungyoon let go of Jinwoo's hands and placed his arm on the older man's shoulder.  "Remember, go right to bed Seungyoon-ah," Jinwoo nagged as they walked down the hallway to their apartment.

"Yes Hyung."

* * *

Mino and Taehyun watched as Jinwoo and Seungyoon vanished behind the large metallic door of the right elevator before they entered the left one.  Taehyun pressed the button for the eighteenth floor and rubbed his tense neck with his free hand.  

"You OK there champ?" Mino patted Taehyun's shoulder.

Taehyun observed Mino as he removed his hand and went to rub his temples. "I could ask you the same thing."

Mino huffed. "Yeah, no kidding."  The rapper cracked his neck before continuing.  "The past couple months have been shit. No. It's been shit since like January." He glanced to see that they were already on the fourteenth floor as he sighed and looked at the floor. "Like we left for the fan meets in China and everything with Seunghoon-hyung _seemed_  fine, but then we came back and just-- I don't know."

"Yeah." Taehyun placed his hands in his pockets as he collected his thoughts. "Hyung can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

Taehyun looked at Mino who was still focused on the tiled elevator floor before he continued. "I have a bad feeling about this.  I can't explain it, but the meeting with YG felt like an omen. It's quiet right now, but I just know it's going to get worse.  It reminds me of..." Taehyun lost his train of thought.

"The quiet right before a massive storm?" Mino tapped his foot against the whitle marble.

Taehyun gulped. "Yeah."

Mino worried his lip with his teeth. "That's my biggest fear."

"I know."  Taehyun and Mino made eye contact as the elevator stopped.  Taehyun went to leave when he saw Mino pause and remain in place.  "Are you not coming?"

"I think I'm gonna smoke a cigarette on the roof to take the edge off."  Mino's face was painted with anxiety.

Taehyun nodded in understanding.  He stepped out of the elevator and began to walk down the hallway to their apartment.  He turned around to face Mino. "Just remember to cover up the smell so Jinwoo-hyung doesn't kill you."

The corners of Mino's mouth lifted into a faint smile. "Will do." He saluted Taehyun and pressed the button to close the elevator door. 

* * *

 Seunghoon's ears were ringing from the echoing slam of the stairwell door.  He groaned, "I shouldn't have done that," as he walked briskly up the first flight of stairs.   

He knew he wasn't being fair, but it felt like the members were oblivious to his pain. ' _If they were really my brothers, they would have known.'_ His life had been hell since he fell offstage at the YG Family concert the previous September.  It felt like his body was quitting on him. Multiple leg injuries, bruises, his previous back injury acting up, and the overall stress and exhaustion of being a rookie group in the industry left him completely warn down.  Seunghoon figured it was his burden to bear, but he wished someone would have noticed and offered to help take care of him.  Seunghoon shook his head because there  _was_  someone that noticed.  In fact, it was the person he reached for immediately after he was pulled back on stage from his fall; Jinwoo.  Seunghoon paused on the steps as the mat-hyung's message to him from one of their group interviews rang loudly in his head.

_"Seunghoon has gone through a lot of stress for a while. We weren’t aware of it but I think he had a hard time being alone while making his choreographies. He’s probably had a lot of worries thinking of how he can make the dance perfect… I’ve said that once, I felt sorry. I really want to say this. I hope you drop the weight off your shoulders because we are here for you, no, Hyung is here for you."_

Seunghoon repeated Jinwoo's words to himself. "Hyung is here for you." He ran a hand through his hair as he fought away dark thoughts from clouding his concious and continued walking.  His brain selfishly took him back to that night that he fell offstage and Seunghoon sighed. _'_ _I ignored everyone else just to get to him.'_

 Hell, he could still feel how his hand clung onto Jinwoo's soft hair as he pressed their foreheads together if he was being honest with himself. The thought made Seunghoon's stomach churn.  He slumped down on the stairs between the third and fourth floor, his head resting between his knees.  He was torn between guilt and self-pity.  Jinwoo tried in every way to be there for him.  However, the dancer pushed him away, too prideful to admit he was struggling.  Seunghoon scowled. _'_ _And I pushed him into Mino's arms.'_  

Seunghoon screamed in frustration. He sprang up and kicked at the concrete wall. "Fuck this!"  He sped his way to the fourth floor door and yanked it open, panting with anger.  This dancer repeated Jinwoo's words with malice as he pounded down the hallway. "And you, take the stairs to work off some of that aggression."  He jabbed the elevator button and tapped his foot impatiently.  _'I'll fucking show you aggression Kim Jinwoo.'_  

There was brief moment in the stairwell where Seunghoon contemplated ending the tension and apologizing, but not anymore.  He pressed the button to the eighteenth floor, ready for war.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.) I don't hate Seunghoon, I swear.
> 
> 2.) The next two chapter is going to be a doozy folks, I manged to hurt myself writing it. I promise it will get better, but first it has to get super bad and angsty. Sorry everybody...


	3. Storm Clouds Brewing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the deal, this originally was going to be a super long chapter (at least for me) but I got self-conscious about the length and the content. (which is why it has taken me so long to update T_T) In short, I got stuck roughly two-thirds through the mega long chapter and the first third or so was good enough to publish as its own chapter. The other part of the chapter, basically the next full chapter at this point, has been rough for me to write creatively and emotionally (why did I give my fluffiest ship my angstiest plot yet and why didn't I finish the angst before I started school???) This is basically "Quiet before the Storm Part Two" but I wanted to give it a cooler name and it builds more of a timeline and adds some extra details and such. Sorry folks. Anywhoo, ignore my sleepy/self conscious rambling and hopefully enjoy the chapter below.

Taehyun was putting the various fruits and cold noodle dishes YG ordered for them in the refrigerator when Jinwoo and Seungyoon entered the apartment.  The maknae stepped into the living room to greet them.  "You made it."

Seungyoon snorted. "Barely." The leader had an arm draped across JInwoo's back while his hand laid delicately on his left shoulder and his head rested comfortably on the right. Seungyoon appeared to be using Jinwoo for balance as he took off his high top sneakers while Jinwoo simply slipped off his loafers and waited patiently for the younger to get his shoes untied.  After a small struggle to untie his laces with one hands, he kicked off the loosened sneakers and removed himself from the mat-hyung's body.  He turned towards Taehyun and sighed.  "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."  

Taehyun hummed in response.  He observed that the leader's eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were tear stained.

"I think, at this point, we all are." Jinwoo raised his arms above his head and quickly stretched from side to side, grunting as he did so.  He bent down to touch his toes and slowly rose back up.  Seungyoon and Taehyun winced as a loud cracking sound emerged from their hyung's spine.

"Eesh," Seungyoon cringed. "I'm going to go lay down before he pops his neck."  Jinwoo chuckled faintly at his teasing which made Seungyoon smile.  It was good to know that he could still joke with his members in times of stress despite being the leader. It left him feeling more at peace with their current situation.  He saluted Taehyun and Jinwoo, only Jinwoo saluted back.  Taehyun just stared at him blankly.  Seungyoon headed towards his bedroom.  He gave a quick wave and said, "See you at 17:30, soldiers," before entering his room.

Taehyun squinted his eyes in confusion. "I'm not sure if that was him trying to be funny or he's just delirious from lack of sleep."

"Maybe both?" Jinwoo guessed.  

Taehyun shrugged. "Maybe."

Jinwoo rested his hand on his dongsaeng's shoulder.  "Do you need any help with the food Taehyunie?"  He glanced at their glass coffee table that was partially covered in kimchi and other various side dishes.

"Sure. I'll grab half and you take what's left."

"Sounds good to me."  They gathered the containers and placed them in the fridge.  Jinwoo shut the fridge door.  He tapped the metal handle of the white appliance in thought. "I was just thinking, why was all the food on the coffee table and not on our dining room table?"

Taehyun rubbed his chin. "Probably so we'd see it.  I mean, have we even  _used_  the table?"

Jinwoo bit his lip as he thought about it.  "You're right.  We don't put anything on it, let alone use it."

A thunderous slam caused both men to jump.  Seunghoon charged into the apartment like a raging bull.  He stomped past the kitchen muttering obscenities under his breath before tearing his bedroom door open.  If he even noticed Jinwoo and Taehyun standing in kitchen, he didn't acknowledge their existence before closing the door with a loud bang.

Taehyun rolled his eyes at Seunghoon's aggressive display.  Sarcasm dripped from his response to the dancer's childish tantrum. "It's good to see he's calmed down a bit."  He waited for Jinwoo to reply, but there was only silence.  He saw Jinwoo was still faced towards the fridge, his hand glued to the handle.  His whole body was rigid.  It was if he was a statue.  Nervously, Taehyun stepped towards Jinwoo and lightly placed his hand in between the mat-hyung's shoulder blades.  "Hyung?"

Jinwoo's jaw was clenched in anger.  He took deep breaths to keep himself calm.  The last thing he wanted to do was snap at Taehyun for no reason.  He focused on the slow rhythm the younger was tapping into his back to hold his temper at bay.  Jinwoo exhaled and finally spoke. "I'm so--" He paused, trying to find the right words. "I'm so fucking tired of his attitude." Jinwoo's voice slowly crescendoed. "Would it  _kill_  him to act civilized?"  He huffed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

Taehyun's eyebrows raised at his hyung's choice of words.  Jinwoo rarely used obscenities in order to set a good example for his dongsaengs.  He rubbed up and down the mat-hyung's tense back.  

"I'm sorry."  Jinwoo lowered his head. "I shouldn't have said that." He was the mat-hyung, he shouldn't burden his dongsaengs with his problems.

"Hyung, it's fine."  Taehyun turned Jinwoo around and wrapped his arms loosely around the older's thin waist. "Sometimes you just have to bitch about things."

Jinwoo sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"Do you want to go lay on the couch with me?" Taehyun placed his chin on the top of Jinwoo's head.

Jinwoo snorted. "Aish, you're just asking that so you can use me as a pillow."

Taehyun chuckled. "Yep."

Jinwoo smiled. "Let's go then, you punk."  The two men walked arm in arm to the large black sectional couch in the living room.  Jinwoo sat down and Taehyun laid down on top of him, his head resting on the older's lap.  The mat-hyung petted the maknae's dark hair.  It was slowly lulling Taehyun to sleep.  Jinwoo rested his chin in his hand as he watched the clouds from the massive living room windows.  He was deep in thought when Mino entered the apartment. The chime of their door keypad brought him back to reality.  He gave a silent wave to his dongsaeng.  Mino waved back with a faint smile.  Jinwoo noticed it didn't meet his eyes.  Even their happy virus was feeling the stress of the group's turmoil.  He cleared his throat and asked, "So where have you been?"

Mino gulped.  "On the roof."  

"Ah."  Jinwoo looked deeply into Mino's eyes and saw guilt.  He filled in the gaps when the rapper coughed and worried his bottom lip with his teeth.  Jinwoo exhaled calmly.  "Look, I'm not gonna chastise you for smoking.  You're an adult and you can make your own decisions.  I would go to Seungyoon so he could nag you, but I know he smokes too.  I'm not as clueless you guys think, Mino-yah."  

Mino bowed his head in shame for disappointing Jinwoo. "Sorry Hyung."

"I'm not mad, if that's what you think," Jinwoo replied. "Come here."  Mino shuffled his feet as he made his way to his hyung.  He sat on the arm of the couch.  Jinwoo placed his head on his dongsaeng's thigh. "I just worry about you."

"I know Hyung." Mino entangled his fingers with Jinwoo's, playing with the gold family ring the older wore regularly.  They sat in comfortable silence listening to Taehyun's quiet snores.  Mino stared out the window for a while.  The clouds had gotten darker since his one cigarette had turned into three on the rooftop patio.  "I think it's going to rain."

"Yeah, looks like it."  Jinwoo scratched his chin his free hand.  "It will probably hit some time tonight. Maybe between 6:00 and 7:00 or so."

Mino grinned. "As always; Kim Jinwoo, Winner's handsome weatherman."

 Jinwoo rolled his eyes and hit his dongsaeng for the comment. "Shut up." 

Mino snorted.  He slowly shook their clasped hands back and forth. "So where is everyone?"

"Seungyoon's in his room sleeping and Seunghoon," Jinwoo's face grew darker as he muttered the dancer's name, "is probably having a tantrum in his room."

Mino rolled his eyes. "Of course he is."

"You don't even know the half of it," Jinwoo huffed. "He came into the dorm and stormed right to his room.  It was like Taehyun and I were invisible."  Tears pricked at Jinwoo's eyes.  He took a shaky breath in. "I can't take much more of this."

"I know." Mino squeezed his hyung's hand. He had selflessly been Jinwoo's confidant for months.  In many ways, Mino was trapped in the eye of the storm brewing between his hyungs. "We're gonna get through this Hyung.  It's going to be ugly and it will probably fucking hurt, but we're going to fix things." He cast his eyes downward as he forced away his own tears.  

Jinwoo sighed. "I hope so."

Mino stroked Jinwoo's hand with his thumb. "I'm going to go chill in my room for a while."

"Alright, I'll be here."  Jinwoo motioned to their sleeping dongsaeng settled in his lap.  A small trail of drool dripped from Taehyun's partially closed lips as he muttered jibberish in his sleep. 

"Aww, he looks so peaceful." Mino teased, "We should take a picture and embarrass him with it later." They shared a soft laugh before Jinwoo moved his head so the rapper could get up. "Try to get some rest, Hyung."  Mino squeezed Jinwoo's shoulder as he walked to the hallway that lead to the bathroom and the bedrooms.

"Okay."  Jinwoo looked out the window again as he drummed his fingers anxiously against the leather arm of the couch. "Mino-yah?"

The young man paused, gripping the corner of the wall as Jinwoo called his name. "Yeah?"

Jinwoo turned his upper body so he could face Mino.  Uncertainty pooled in his eyes as he asked in a hushed voice, "Was there more I could have done?"

"I don't know."

"I can't shake the feeling that I didn't do enough."  Jinwoo's lip trembled.  "I should have _known_ Seunghoonie wasn't doing well, shouldn't have I?"

Mino's face softened.  "Hyung, you can't do that to yourself."

"I know, but I--"

"You can only work with what we give you, and Seunghoon-hyung--" Mino sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration with the dancer. "Look, he  _chose_  to keep you in the dark.  Now all we can do is talk this out as a group and pray that we get our shit together."

"You're right." Jinwoo dabbed his eyes with the sleeve of his baby blue sweater. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with all this."

"It's fine," Mino tapped his knuckles against the wall.  "I just want to see you happy."  Mino exhaled as he tried to not feel too embarrassed. "I love you Hyung."

Jinwoo sniffled. "Love you too." They shared a soft brotherly smile. "Now go rest, Mino-yah."

"Okay."  With a final wave, Mino disappeared into the dim hallway.  The young man startled when he heard the sound of something hitting the wall accompanied by muffled swearing as he walked by Seunghoon's room.  All he could do was shake his head in frustration, exhausted by the older's behavior.

* * *

Seunghoon stormed into the apartment like a vicious tornado.  He didn't even stop to take off his shoes before thundering through the dorm.  His brain was only focused on making it to his room so he could continue stewing in his toxic emotions.  His door closed with a forceful bang that rattled the thin wood frame.  He whipped off his emerald cardigan and flung it across the room.  He began frantically pacing back and forth as bitter thoughts of jealousy flooded his mind.   

Jinwoo and Mino's close relationship would have been fine if the majority of their skinship was saved for the stage, but it wasn't.  The clasping of hands, the tangling of legs, the soft whisper of inside jokes surrounded Seunghoon 24/7.  It only magnified the growing distance between him and Jinwoo.  All he could was stand back and watch as Mino replaced him.  Seunghoon's shopping outings transformed into coffee dates with Mino.  Gone were the days that the fan proclaimed "hyung line" would go to the gym together because Jinwoo would rather go to the art supply store with the younger rapper or follow him to the studio like some lovesick puppy.  Seunghoon paused at the floor length mirror located next to his overflowing closet and stared harshly at his reflection.  _'And why wouldn't he?'_    Seunghoon looked deeply at his exhausted red bloodshot eyes and the dark circles inked on his face that lived beneath them.  He scanned down to the permanent frown that had been etched on his face since the others left for schedules in China, when he was left in the dust by his bandmates, when Jinwoo and Mino became too inseparable for the dancer to ignore.  

Seunghoon sighed.  Mino was everything he wasn't.  He was more vibrant, more handsome, a better rapper, a better composer, and now he was  even a better fit for Jinwoo than Seunghoon was.  The dancer studied himself, eyes burning.   _'Why would he choose to hang out with a miserable sack of shit like you when he can be with someone as charismatic and happy as Mino?'_  Seunghoon's stomach twisted as his conscious engulfed him in negativity.  _'They're perfect for each other and what are you? You're nothing...'_

In a poisonous whisper, Seunghoon snarled, "You're nothing!"

A swift rage overtook the dancer.  He grabbed the white porcelain mug sitting on his desk and threw it against the door. "Goddamnit!" He flopped face down onto his bed as hot tears pricked at his vision.  Swirling thoughts of self pity, frustration, and insecurity pushed Seunghoon into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Seungyoon awoke to the twinkling sound of his phone's alarm. The leader sat up and unleashed a loud yawn before turning the chiming device off.  He looked at the time; 5:00 pm.  He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer before heading to the bathroom.  Seungyoon turned on the faucet and washed his face with cold water to wake himself up before looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.  While the evidence of pure exhaustion remained, his small rest left him feeling energized and ready to lead his group hopefully back together as five.  He tapped the ceramic counter with roughly bitten fingernails as he thought back to YG's question earlier that day.

_"How long has this tension been going on for?"_

The leader bit his lip in regret.  In his tired anxious state, he forgot about observing the cold tension lingering between Jinwoo and Seunghoon since the beginning of the year.  The change was subtle, but looking back, it was so obvious from the beginning.  Seunghoon leaving China before the others completely drained should have been his first clue.  At the time, he figured it was because the dancer was still recovering from his injuries, but now in retrospect, there was an underlying sadness in his eyes that seemed far deeper than suffering from purely physical pain.  While on pain killers, he had once confided in Seungyoon that he felt like the others were furthering their careers and talents while he was still squandering at the starting line. So perhaps it was that. _'But it felt like there was more to it...'_  Seungyoon scratched his chin in thought, trying add more information to his vague timeline. 

Soon after Seunghoon's intoxicated confession, there were biting passive aggressive remarks shared between the dancer and Mino and sometimes Jinwoo.  _'I think that was right before the WWIC in Seoul.'_  Soon after that, Seunghoon completely ignored the other two and Mino joined what Taehyun and Seungyoon had secretly coined the KimLee Cold War.  After that, everything blurred together because Seungyoon and Taehyun spent weeks on end at the studio to avoid the conflict at home.  Then, they got acting roles and were rarely home to notice just how much worse the situation had gotten.  

The call from their manager stating that they were going to have an emergency meeting with YG because of infighting completely blindsided Seungyoon.  _'But it shouldn't have. It was always there under my nose. How oblivious can I possibly be?'_  Seungyoon shook his head.  That wasn't important now, he needed to prepare and meet his members in the living room and resolve the group's discord before they imploded on themselves.  He said another silent prayer before leaving the bathroom and heading towards the living room.

Seungyoon smiled softly when he heard Jinwoo's hushed voice trying to calm his worried dongsaengs as he walked closer to the crowed living room sofa.  He cleared his throat to alert the others of his presence.  Three hoodie-clad heads whipped around to face him.  "Where's Seunghoon-hyung? It's almost time to start."

"He's still in his room," Taehyun replied.  Seungyoon didn't miss how Mino rolled his eyes at the statement.

"OK then," Seungyoon began, "I'll go get him."  

The leader softly knocked on Seunghoon's door.  There was no response.  He knocked again; nothing.  Seungyoon took a deep breath and turned the silver knob, unsure of what would meet him behind the door.  He noticed a minefield of porcelain shards laid before his feet.  Seungyoon gingerly walked around the mess to Seunghoon's sleeping figure.  He gently shook the grumbling dancer awake.  "Hyung, it's time."  Seungyoon prepared himself for a combative response, but all he got was a quiet, "OK."

Seunghoon slowly rose up from his bed and kicked off his shoes before following Seungyoon out into the hallway.  Seungyoon muttered under his breath, "Well that was easy."

"Don't be too sure of that Seungyoonie," Seunghoon murmured.  Seungyoon tensed at his hyung's reply.  His voice was calm, but his words and tone spoke volumes.  Seunghoon wasn't going down without a fight.  


	4. Wounded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know my updates have been erratic to say the least since starting this story (Hell, that's the case with all of my multi-chapter fics if I'm being honest), but I'm in the middle of school at the moment and my time to write varies constantly I won't have another solid break until late November. With that being said, I just want to thank you so, so, much for all the love and support you've given me for this story despite the fact that I continue to destroy your souls with angst. I really appreciate it and I will try my best to keep working so I can bring you updates. <3

Dinner, if you could call it that, was nothing more than a symphony of clinking metal chopsticks twirling uneaten noodles and spreading them across white porcelain plates.  Every now and then, there would be a short staccato sound of coughing or a grunt as someone tried to clear their throat; anything to fill the unnatural, awkward silence that lay heavy over the dining room table like a thick engulfing fog.  Seungyoon briefly thought about joking how even Mino had no appetite, but it was not the right time or place.  

Winner's leader observed his members and saw various levels of agitation.  The usually calm, collected maknae would periodically crack his knuckles then anxiously drum them against the table before letting out a deep sigh.  Though Mino appeared calm, the sound of his hyperactive legs beating against floor told otherwise.  Jinwoo would peer occasionally over at Seunghoon, his eyes flickering between concern and melancholy while worrying his thumb with his teeth.  Seunghoon appeared to be the calmest of all.  His eyes were focused down at the abstract painting he created on his plate.  Seungyoon could see the older's chest heave as he took long silent breaths.  Seungyoon wished some of the dancer's calm would transfer over to him.  Though his body thrummed with anxious energy, he sat as still and silent as possible.  He was their leader.  Right now, he needed to be the strong one and carry his members through the trenches.  Seungyoon, sitting at the far head of the table, looked out at the bleak dark clouds through the expansive living room windows and prayed silently for strength. 

The leader wrung his calloused hands a few times before addressing his bandmates.  It was better to pull the bandage off quickly.  "So how do we want to go about this?"  He browsed his members' reactions starting with Jinwoo who sat closest to the front door of their apartment.  He was deep in thought as Mino, sitting between Jinwoo and himself, whispered into the mat-hyung's ear, his eyes focused aggressively on Seunghoon.  He didn't miss how Seunghoon, sitting across from Jinwoo, pursed his lips into a thin line at the interaction.  Taehyun, sitting across from Mino, only dragged a chopstick through his untouched meal, looking anywhere besides his bellicose hyungs.

Jinwoo cleared his throat and raised his hand.  His voice was firm and clear despite the nerves apparent in his doe eyes.  The mat-hyung looked towards Seungyoon before quickly searching for Seunghoon's eyes.  The dancer looked in his direction but still refused to meet his glance.  Assured that he had at least the majority of their attention, Jinwoo started, "If I may, may I suggest that the two of us," Jinwoo motioned to Seunghoon, "discuss this while you three," he motioned towards Mino, Seungyoon, and Taehyun, "listen and perhaps only step in if requested. After all, this started with just us before Mino got wrapped into it.  I discussed this with Taehyun and Mino earlier and they agreed to it. Would that be alright?"  

Seungyoon stroked his chin.  "That sounds fine to me." 

Jinwoo took a deep breath before facing Seunghoon's blank face.  "What do you think Seunghoon-ah?"

There was a pregnant pause before the leader stepped in to end it.  Seungyoon met Seunghoon's calculating eyes in hopes of getting the older's opinion. "Hyung?"

Seunghoon leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.  "Sure," he began before motioning to Mino, "as long Jinwoo-hyung can keep his pet on a leash."

Mino slammed the table, ready to jump across it and fight his difficult hyung.  However, Jinwoo gripped firmly on his forearm and eased him back down.  The mat-hyung's lips formed a thin line, his eyes heating with buliding frustration.  "Fine. I'll "keep him on a leash" if you can be civil for more that five seconds."  Jinwoo inhaled and exhaled deeply to re-center himself as the dancer sneered and bitterly scoffed. 

Taehyun anxiously muttered under his breath. "Jesus Christ, at this rate, we'll be lucky if they speak two sentences before coming to blows."  His tense grip on the table grew tighter. Seungyoon looked at whitening fingers and risked running his hand over them in comfort before they popped off the maknae's hand. He met Taehyun's nervous eyes as the younger's hands relaxed slightly. 

Seungyoon rubbed his temples before addressing his strained members.  The young man sighed.  He hated being a strict leader, but they were getting nowhere.  They had been in a frigid stalemate for several months, and it needed to end before they fell apart. "Here's the deal, the only way this will work is if  _all_ parties cooperate.  We all know's what's going to happen if we don't."  He watched his four members deflate at the mention of YG's scolding. Seungyoon pounded the table as he declared, "We have worked too damn hard and the stakes are too high for us to sit here and twiddle our thumbs because we don't want address our problems!" He glared at Seunghoon and Mino. "Or, we're too busy prepping for a fight to even _listen_ to what the other side has to say!  And I am _not_ gonna sit here and watch as we crumble apart because we can't talk it out like fucking grown-ups!" He paused to breathe. "Now, we are going to sit here until this is resolved.  Do I make myself clear?"

A timid chorus of "Yes, Seungyoon-ah," and "Yes, Hyung," met the leader's ears.

Seungyoon sighed before popping his neck.  He took a deep breath to collect himself before scanning his members once more.  There was still apparent agitation but they seemed more compliant and ready to discuss the issue, or at least that's what the young leader hoped.  He drummed his calloused fingers against the table.  "Look, I know that we might open up some old wounds, perhaps even make fresh ones..."  Seungyoon trailed off, fighting back the tears threatening to show themselves to his already distressed members.  He bit the inside of his lip before continuing.  "But it might have to be done so we can start fresh.  We have worked so hard to get here.  God, we gave everything to stay together and I--"  The leader paused, his words leaving him feeling vulnerable and raw as more of his dongsaeng side bled through the cracks of his leader facade. "I just want to get back to how we were."

Seunghoon looked down at the table, fighting back feelings of shame.  He kept those thoughts at bay by shielding himself with his pride, too stubborn to admit fault just yet.  

Seungyoon cleared his throat and quickly dabbed away any remaining evidence of his tears. "So who wants to start?"

Seunghoon prayed the others couldn't hear the rapid pounding of his heartbeat as he raised his hand to speak.  This was his chance.  Mino and Jinwoo couldn't hide any longer, they were now the prey to his predator.  He cleared his throat before opening with, "Here's what I don't understand.  Why can't you two just admit it?"

Jinwoo scrunched his brow in confusion.  "Admit what?"

The dancer scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. "Are you fucking serious right now?"

Jinwoo pursed his lips, nibbling on the inner flesh of his lip as he scowled from the younger's vague accusation.  The mat-hyung's tone grew frostbitten.  "You know what, I am serious. I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.  Perhaps if you want me to admit something, you should be more specific Seunghoon."

Seunghoon's eyes began to burn with a dull fire, frustrated by Jinwoo's remark.  "Do you think we," he motioned to a very still, on-edge Seungyoon and a fidgeting uncomfortable Taehyun," are completely oblivious to what's happening between you and Mino?"

"Yah!" Mino was ready to interject before Jinwoo cut him of with his hand, taking control of the discussion.

The mat-hyung formed his hands into fists in the pockets of his hoodie, the action hidden underneath the table.  "And what exactly is that Seunghoon-ah? Please enlighten me."

"Oh come off it!"  Mino, Taehyun and Seungyoon flinched while Jinwoo remained rigid and still when Seunghoon slammed his hands on the table.  "Do you really think you're that fucking slick?  You couldn't be any more obvious if you tried!"

Jinwoo's voice remained quiet but his tone simmered with growing anger.  "Obvious about what? Just spit it out already."

Seunghoon clenched his jaw.  He growled, "You and Mino are together."

"Excuse me?" Jinwoo raised his eyebrow at his resentful dongsaeng.

"You're fucking, doing the deed, bumping uglies, ravishing each other in the throes of carnal lust, whatever the fuck you wanna call it!"

Seungyoon's authoritative voice rang loud over the table.  "Hyung that's enough!"

"No!"  Jinwoo, still facing Seunghoon, responded to his dongsaeng.  "I want to hear this. Please Seunghoon, I'd _love_ for you tell me just when this budding romance came to be because I sure as hell wasn't aware of it."  The mat-hyung's tone dripped with hostility. 

"Bullshit!" Seunghoon slammed his hands against the table once more before rising violently, propelling his chair harshly into the wall behind him.  He stormed into the main living room space and paced frantically for a moment before turning to meet Jinwoo's exasperated, incredulous gaze.  "For fuck's sake you've been glued to each other the entire fucking year!"

Jinwoo removed his hands from his pockets and crossed them over his chest.  "Is this what this is all about?  You're just jealous I spend more time with him?"

Seunghoon's scalding stare bore into the older man.  Was Jinwoo really that clueless? "Are you fucking kidding me?"  The dancer brought his arms to his hips before resuming his tirade. "It's been clear since day one that you were head-over-heels in love with Mino.  You're always touching and giggling like school girls together while I'm just the third-wheel in the background!"  The dancer paused to catch his breath and laughed humorlessly as he continued. "I'm honestly surprised it took you this long to finally make a move, Jinwoo. I guess you just had to find a way of getting rid of me and it looks like China was finally your chance.  To top it all off, you just _had_  to go overboard with the fanservice and pity me by mentioning me any chance you got, just so you could pretend that you still fucking cared!"

Jinwoo's lips went slack in shock from the younger's biting allegation.  His face softened momentarily. "Seunghoon-ah, that's not true..."

"Save it Jinwoo!"  Seunghoon felt his lip quiver but he forced his sadness down in favor of expressing his fury.  "You haven't given a shit about me since you met Mino!  You were just dragging me along so you could feel better about yourself and be that lovable caring hyung the public knows you as!  Just be honest Jinwoo, why couldn't you just tell me?"

Jinwoo had been willing to give Seunghoon the benefit of the doubt and let him yell and berate him to get all his emotions out, but he had finally heard enough.  He was shaking with rage from the dancer's hurtful accusations.  He pounded his fists against the table before standing up, his chest heaving. "THAT'S BECAUSE  _YOU_  SHUT ME OUT!"

The atmosphere went completely still from the mat-hyung's thunderous outburst.  Even Seungyoon, his oldest friend in the group, had never seen Jinwoo that angry.

Jinwoo fought back angry tears as he walked towards Seunghoon and shouted, "Everything I did in China was for you!  I didn't have to do or say anything, but I did it, _for you_ _!_   Do you know how hard it was to be onstage and without you there?"  The mat-hyung wiped furiously at his eyes with the grey cotton sleeve of his hoodie before continuing to spill his heart out to his distant dongsaeng. " And then we get back and you don't return my texts, you make excuses so you don't have to be anywhere near me, and you gave me the cold shoulder if I even tried to say a single word to you! It was like I didn't exist and it ripped me apart Seunghoon!  Mino had to pick up the pieces because _you_  weren't there and I still don't even know why!  For Christ's sake Seunghoon, you know I was there!  I would have been there for you regardless if you were hurt by me or not and you know it!"

Seunghoon opened his mouth, ready to object, but he stopped himself.  Everything Jinwoo said was true.  It was an extremely bitter pill for the dancer to swallow.  His ego was battered and his pain seemed totally self-inflicted.  Seunghoon selfishly wanted to bring the singer down to his level of hurt. "You know what?  Sometimes I--" He stopped, knowing that Jinwoo would be skewered by his words.  

"Sometimes, what?"  Jinwoo spat. He crossed his arms over and chest and demanded, "C'mon Seunghoon, say what you were gonna say."

Seunghoon sighed.  This was the lowest he could ever go.  Hell, he knew he didn't even mean it, but it was too late.  His mouth began spilling words he was going to regret. In a painful whisper, Seunghoon uttered, "Sometimes I wish YG would have dropped you and replaced you with someone else."  A chorus of gasps shattered the strained quiet atmosphere of the living room.  He had never spoken to Jinwoo with such venomous words. The dancer watched as Jinwoo deflated and folded in on himself.  It was as if the older man had been shot. Seunghoon looked away, too cowardly to face Jinwoo's anguished expression.

Jinwoo's chest grew painfully tight and his body trembled. That kind of attack was unwarranted, no matter how agonized Seunghoon felt.  His dark doe eyes flooded with hurt.  Voice breaking, Jinwoo rasped, "Keep this up and maybe I will be." Tears welled in his eyes as he turned away from his dongsaengs and somberly walked to the front door, fighting back wracking sobs.  A moment of eerie, tense silence seeped into the living room as Mino, Seungyoon, and Taehyun sat in shock and Seunghoon quietly begged the universe for forgiveness.  With a shaky hand, Jinwoo opened the front door and quietly exited the apartment barefoot.  

Mino shook with rage and his vision flooded with red.  He cracked his knuckles before charging towards Seunghoon. "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Mino tackled the dancer to the ground, landing a punch to Seunghoon's chest. "YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!" 

The dancer began clawing at the younger man's face to ward off his attacks. Taehyun and Seungyoon unfroze from their stupor and raced to peel the angry rappers apart so the violence wouldn't escalate further.  

"Knock it off!" Seungyoon's Busan accent erupted from his mouth as he tried to take control of the situation. 

"That's enough, stop it!" Taehyun grabbed Mino by the shirt and ripped him off of Seunghoon, dodging punches as he wrestled Mino to the ground and away from Seunghoon.  From behind and in a sitting position, he wrapped his legs around Mino's and pinned the rapper's arms behind his back in an attempt to hold him back.  The maknae leaned against the black leather sofa for support.  Meanwhile, Seungyoon pulled Seunghoon up and tightly coiled his arms around the dancer's torso as he frantically thrashed like a bucking bronco to remove the younger.  Seungyoon eventually pushed him against the narrow wall that divided the kitchen from the small dining alcove in the living room, holding him back by the shoulders. 

Mino was a rabid dog, teeth gnashing violently as he growled, "Out of all the fucking things you could say to him, you say  _that?_  What the fuck is wrong with you, Seunghoon?"

Seunghoon roared over Seungyoon's shoulder in his own rough Busan accent, "It's Seunghoon- _HYUNG_  to you, jackass!" He made his hands into tight fists, his fingernails digging into his palms.

"Right now you're  _NOT_  my hyung!" Mino lashed out as he fought to break from Taehyun's hold,  managing only to free his legs. "You're just a prideful  jealous  _BITCH_ with his head shoved so far up his ass that he can't see past his own fucking sadness!" Panting, Mino continued his rant. "Do you have any idea how hard how hard it's been for all of us?  Or better yet, do you know how fucking hard it's been for Jinu-hyung to see you like this?"

"Oh big fucking deal!" Seunghoon spat with venom. "He has _YOU_ , Mr. fucking Prince Charming, to keep him warm at night!" Seunghoon risked edging forward only to have Seungyoon's hands press him more firmly against the wall as he grunted from the added exertion.  Unyielding, Seunghoon continued to rage, punching the wall behind him. "Why don't you chase after your fucking boyfriend and go on another fucking coffee date where you can stare into each other's eyes all lovey and shit!"

"Goddamnit! How many times do I have to tell you that we're  _NOT_ together?" Mino bellowed, "For fuck's sake, all we ever talk about is  _YOU!_ " He angrily kicked towards the seething Seunghoon.  Mino felt Taehyun's grip on him tighten in preparation for another escape attempt. "It's always about how much he misses you, how much it hurts to see you in pain, how much it hurts when you push him away!" Mino paused his tirade to catch his breath.  "Do you--"  The rapper paused again, bowing his head as he tried to pull himself together.  He closed his eyes to hold back angry tears. Voice cracking, Mino asked, "Do you even know how much he wants you?"  

The maknae line's hold on their hyungs softened as they tried to process Mino's sudden disclosure.  Meanwhile, Seunghoon's rage swiftly dissipated and his white knuckled fists relaxed and went limp.  "Wha-what?"

Mino sighed and opened his eyes, looking completely dejected. The rapper shook his head in disappointment and chuckled bitterly, answering his own question. "Of course you don't." He harshly yanked out of Taehyun's grip and rose up from the floor.  Taehyun quickly followed suit and reached to place his hand firmly on Mino's shoulder to keep him back, but the rapper quickly shook it off. He turned around to face his anxious dongsaeng and sighed. "I'm not gonna hit him again, I promise."  Trusting his hyung, Taehyun silently nodded and gave Mino's arm a gentle squeeze.

Mino's emotions swirled between anger at Seunghoon, sympathy for Jinwoo, regret for the dongsaengs he and his hyungs were failing, and devastation from the uncertainty of Winner's future.  Would Team A, KangNamKimSongLee, even exist when Jinwoo returned?  Would all their hard work to debut as five, all their blood, sweat, and tears, be in vain?  That thought made bile rise in the rapper's throat.  Something in Mino snapped. He needed to get out of there.  He bolted past his bewildered bandmates to reach the front door.  Mino paused to slip on his sneakers and took a deep breath with hopes of keeping his anxieties at bay.  The rapper then turned around to look directly into Seunghoon's stunned face.  Ripping the door open, Mino commanded, "Don't talk to me until you're ready to stop being an asshole."  He slammed the door hard enough to rattle the door frame as he left.

"Nice going, Hyung!" Taehyun kicked the couch in anger. "Fuck!"  He pounded down the hallway to his bedroom and slammed his way inside.

Seungyoon sighed deeply, still clutching painfully onto Seunghoon's shoulders.  Both men remained silent until Seunghoon weakly uttered, "You can let go now Seungyoon."

"I will when I'm done speaking to you." Seungyoon removed his hand from the dancer's shoulder to jab his finger into Seunghoon's chest, "And you are going to listen to everything I say. Got it?"

Seunghoon nodded as he looked into the younger's burning eyes.  Seungyoon's scolding stare was a force to be reckoned with.

At times like this, Seungyoon was grateful he had been Jinwoo's roommate for so long.  He had all of Jinwoo's habits practically memorized. "Here's the deal, Jinu-hyung didn't take his shoes so he's probably on the roof right now.  I want you to stay here and calm down.  Then, I want you to head up there and apologize.  Do you understand?"

"Yes Seungyoon."  Seunghoon looked down in shame.  

"Look," Seungyoon puffed as he combed a hand through his hair, "I'm really angry at you right now and I kinda want to punch you in the nuts. But you're still my hyung; I love you, I care about you, and I want to see you happy again. Most importantly, I want to see you make things right and I know you can do that.  I believe in you, Hyung."  

In any other circumstance Seunghoon would have cringed and teased Seungyoon for his cheesy words, but he truly was grateful for the leader's sincerity and honesty.  He offered Seungyoon a broken, "Thank you," as tears trickled from his eyes.  Seungyoon nodded and firmly hugged Seunghoon before walking down the hallway to his room, leaving the dancer alone with his conflicted thoughts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T_T I'm sorry everyone. Remember I said things had to get worse before they got better, so don't come at me with torches and pitchforks just yet.


End file.
